A measles outbreak in West Texas is continuing to grow in cases as state health officials work to contain the spread of the highly-contagious disease.
The Texas Department of State Health Services said Tuesday 422 cases have been identified in the state since late January, 42 of which required hospitalization. For reference, Texas was reporting 146 cases of measles in the state about one month ago.
To date, at least one patient — an unvaccinated school-aged child — has died.
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“The best way to prevent getting sick is to be immunized with two doses of a vaccine against measles, which is primarily administered as the combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine,” the Texas DSHS said in a statement. “Two doses of the MMR vaccine are highly effective at preventing measles.”
According to most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 483 measles cases have been reported in 19 different states, including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
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According to the CDC, symptoms of measles typically begin with a high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Two to three days after these initial symptoms, tiny white spots may appear inside the mouth.
While most people who are vaccinated do recover from measles, complications can be deadly, particularly in young children, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems.
